So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold,
I will spit you out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:16
Even vomit fossilizes. An ancient fish
retched up its meal of slimy sea star legs,
which preserved in stone the moment it spat
that foul phlegm off of its tongue.
But its tongue could be another creature:
the parasitic louse, who like his brothers
(scale-clingers and gill-dwellers)
preys under the cover of the fish’s flesh.
With scissor-like claws, he severs the blood supply,
waits for it to necrotize, then wedges himself
into the leftover stub. The fish still lives,
for a bit, though it’s left with only crumbs,
as its parasitic tongue eats for both of them.
Do they ever quarrel over what to consume
or do their minds align when their flesh is fused?
God, now that you left our gnawed up bones
to harden to stone, answer us
with Your wordless hum:
who chose to spit us out?
Which of Your tongues?
–
Cam McGlynn is a writer and scientific researcher living outside of Frederick, Maryland. Her work has appeared in Rattle (online), Wildscape, The Shore, and ONE ART, among others. When not knee-deep in a swamp, you can find her at pinkpossumclub.bsky.social.